4
MAY 1, 2023
Food Bank news
The Grand Ronde Food Bank 3 iskam mfkhmfk haws 3 is operated
by Marion-Polk Food Share, which has been leading the oght to end
hunger since 1987 because no one should be hungry.
Recipients of SNAP, TANF, SSI or LIHEAP assistance automat-
ically qualify for assistance at the Grand Ronde Food Bank, 9675
Grand Ronde Road. No one will be turned away in need of a food box.
<We believe that everyone deserves to have enough to eat,= Food
Bank Coordinator Francene Ambrose says. <You are welcome to get
a food box at each of our regular weekly distributions. No one will
be turned away in need of a food box.=
The Food Bank will hold May food box distributions from 10 a.m.
to 2 p.m. Fridays. In addition, there is a light food box (mostly bread
and produce) distribution from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays.
People must check in 15 minutes before closing to receive a food
box on both days. If you need immediate assistance, call 211 or visit
211info.org.
Those who are unable to pick up a food box can oll out an authorized
representative form and that designated person can pick up a food
box on your behalf. The authorization is good for one year.
The Food Bank continues to seek volunteers to help with repacking
food, putting food on the shelves, handing out food boxes, end-of-
month inventory and picking up food donations at area stores.
Call to ensure someone is available to assist. People also can sign
up for a monthly e-mail for the Food Bank calendar and events, as
well as follow the Food Bank on Facebook.
The Food Bank is an equal opportunity provider.
Call Ambrose at 503-879-3663 or contact her at fambrose@mari-
onpolkfoodshare.org for more information or to volunteer. þ
Drop box installed
The Grand Ronde Tribal Police Department, 9655 Grand Ronde Road,
has a medication drop box located in the front lobby.
Lobby hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The drop box is for any prescribed or over-the-counter medication.
If the containers are too large to ot in the drop box, please repackage
them in a zip-lock plastic bag. Tribal Police employees cannot handle
the medications so the person dropping them off must repackage them.
Needles and liquids are not allowed in the drop box.
Tribal Police suggest mixing liquid medications with cat litter or
coffee grounds and then throwing them away with the household trash.
For more information, call 503-879-1821. þ
Committee & Special Event
Board meeting days and times
" Ceremonial Hunting Board meets as needed. Chair: Marline Groshong.
" Culture Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month
at the Grand Ronde Food Bank/iskam mfkhmfk haws, 9675 Grand Ronde
Road. Chair: Francene Ambrose.
" Editorial Board meets monthly. The next meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m.
Friday, May 19, at Chachalu Museum & Cultural Center, 8720 Grand Ronde
Road. Chair: Mia Prickett. Contact: Editorial.Board@grandronde.org.
" Education Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. on the last Tuesday of the month
in the Adult Education building. Chair: Tammy Cook.
" Elders Committee meets at 10 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month in
the Elders Activity Center. Chair: Carmen Robertson.
" Enrollment Committee meets quarterly in Room 204 of the Governance
Center. Chair: Debi Anderson.
" Fish & Wildlife Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the
monthattheNaturalResourcesbuildingofHeboRoad.Chair:HaroldLyon.
" Health Committee meets at 10 a.m. the second Tuesday of the month in
the Molalla Room of the Health & Wellness Center. Chair: Darlene Aaron.
" Housing Grievance Board meets at 4 p.m. the third Thursday of the month
in the Housing Department conference room. Chair: Shayla Myrick-Meyer.
" Powwow Special Event Board meets monthly at noon at the Community
Center. Dates vary. Contact Dana Ainam at 503-879-2037. Chair: Dana Ainam.
" TERO Commissionmeetsat10a.m.theorstTuesdayofthemonthinthe
Employment Services building. Chair: Russell Wilkinson.
" Timber Committee meets at 5 p.m. the second Thursday of the month at the
NaturalResourcesbuildingofHeboRoad.InterimChair:JonR.George.
" Veterans Special Event Boardmeetsat5:30p.m.theorstTuesdayofthe
month in the old Elders Craft House. Chair: Rich VanAtta.
To update information on this list, contact Publications Coordinator
Dean Rhodes at 503-879-1463 or dean.rhodes@grandronde.org.
Smoke Signals
yesteryears
a look
back...
2018 3 After a year of competition with the only other Tribal casino
in the Portland-Vancouver gaming market, Ilani, the Grand Ronde
Tribe9s landmark Spirit Mountain Casino continued to exceed reve-
nue expectations. Original estimates of what the competition would
do to Spirit Mountain Casino revenue and the dividend sent to the
Grand Ronde Tribe for governmental operations and important
programs such as Elders9 pensions, educational funding and health
care were, at times, dire. Although gaming revenue was originally
projected to decrease by 38.8 percent per year, it only ended up being
18.8 percent.
2013 3 The Tribe mounted a
new exhibit at the Willamette
Heritage Center at the The Mill
in Salem. <We Were Here First
& and We Are Here to Stay:
Assimilation, Termination and
Restoration of the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde Com-
munity of Oregon= took visitors
through the 1850s Treaty Era
to the Termination Era of the
2013
File photo
1950s to the Tribe9s prepara-
tion for its 30th anniversary of being restored. <We were told a long
time ago that you9re going to have to tell your history over and over
again,= Tribal Elder Kathryn Harrison said. The exhibit was curated
by Land and Culture Department Exhibits and Archives Program
staff members David Lewis, Julie Brown and Veronica Montano.
2008 3 The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a rule
change that returned big-game hunting rights for cultural ceremo-
nies to Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde members. The Tribe
had been working to regain the rights after losing them. <A great
day & a historic day,= said Tribal Council Vice Chair Reyn Leno. <I
wish every Tribal member knew what was going on here today.= The
new ceremonial game hunting rights applied in the Trask Wildlife
Management Unit where Tribal members had hunted since time
immemorial and during state-sanctioned hunting seasons since
Restoration.
2003 3 New Spirit Mountain Casino Chief Executive Officer
Douglas Pattison brought a range of gaming experience with him
when he was hired to the casino9s top job. <His talents are what we
are looking for,= Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy
said. Pattison had most recently served as chief executive ofocer of
the Silver Star Hotel and Casino owned by the Mississippi Band of
Choctaw Indians, and had also worked at casinos in Atlantic City
and Memphis.
1998 3 Language specialist Tony Johnson was featured for his de-
velopment of a Chinuk Wawa archive of written and audio materials.
He was pursuing a master9s degree in linguistics at the University of
Oregon when he was recruited as a language specialist by the Grand
Ronde Culture Board. He decided that establishment of a language
program archive was an essential orst step.
1993 3 The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde announced its
intent to open a gaming facility on Tribal land. Tribal ofocials con-
tacted Oregon Gov. Barbara Roberts, requesting that a contract be
drawn up between it and the state of Oregon, as required by the
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988. <We are very concerned
about sustaining onancial support for our programs,= Tribal Council
Chairman Mark Mercier said. <Opening a facility that taps Oregon9s
growing tourism industry makes us less susceptible to the uncertain
future of the timber industry and anticipated budget cuts.=
1988 3 Smoke Signals honored its orst Tribal veteran in the news-
paper, selecting Tribal Council member Russ Leno, who joined the
Air Force at the age of 18 and served a two-year tour of duty in Japan
from 1945-47. He was an eyewitness to the devastation caused by the
dropping of atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
<I rode a train right down the middle of the whole thing,= he said.
<I took a bunch of pictures, but they wouldn9t let you keep them. All
my bothers had served, so it was natural for me to go.=
Yesteryears is a look back at Tribal history in ove-year in-
crements through the pages of Smoke Signals.
Are you frustrated with your diabetes control?
Do you have ques}ons about diabetes?
Do you need help managing your diabetes?
If so&
Call the Medical Clinic today at 503-879-2002
To schedule an individual diabetes educa}on appointment